Letters to the Editor: Dec. 8

The wonderful Christmas at Keeneland arts and crafts show was a beautiful place to buy unique gifts for the home, one's friends and one's self. A huge building filled with Christmas atmosphere, the very smell and feel of Christmas.

We had told our friends to make a list, go and buy, buy, buy. The artists and crafts people were friendly; the crowd of buying guests was happy. A busy place, something to be sure to save the weekend after Thanksgiving to attend.

This year, the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, in its infinite wisdom, decided not to sponsor the show. So there was none. I am sure we, as well as most other participants, would gladly have paid an admission fee. Was that ever considered?

We had rushed from out of town, bent on getting to Keeneland and finishing our Christmas shopping at the replacement Holiday Marketplace event. All we found were the dregs drug out of boxes of Keeneland's never-sold.

I am very, very unhappy. City leaders certainly have disappointed many of us. If only they had made this decision earlier and given someone else a chance to take over the show.

Now, I guess we have to go to Berea to the Artisans Center where we are appreciated.

Shame on you.

Martha L. Baxter

Richmond

Miscues at event

I know Z-Rock 103 in Lexington has sponsored Homeless for the Holidays the past few years. It is a great cause and benefits those who are less fortunate.

The problem is this: If the project is Homeless for the Holidays — key word being homeless — the setup they had was far from what the homeless experience.

I stopped by the site one day and was shocked to see the crew had a nice heated trailer with beds and running water. I'm not sure how many homeless people have that. How many homeless people have Sheraton Suites bringing them fresh-baked cookies, Papa Johns providing six or seven pizzas or Blue Bell Ice Cream bringing a cooler full of ice cream to eat?

I realize Z-Rock's heart was in the right place. I just can't help but think Homeless for the Holidays to Z-Rock is really Homeless Fun and Food.

I made a donation to help out families who need it, but I wonder how many nights the real homeless were on the streets hungry for anything while the people who were helping (wink) them were warm and cozy in their beds and had full stomachs.

Mike Mahan

Lexington

All about the money

Everybody knows a university president is expected to bring in lots of money.

You'd think many of the smartest people around are those at a university. Yet they go elsewhere to find people smart enough to find them a president.

So the university spends lots of money to hire a guy and then pays him lots of money to raise lots of money.

Erin Henninger

Harrodsburg

That bias is showing

I guess I must be a liberal because I don't understand most conservative catchphrases, such as "liberal bias."

Being biased has to do with being unfairly prejudiced in favor of or against one thing, person or group because of personal or institutional preferences.

Liberals appear to be people who listen and value what is important to others. So, the phrase "liberal bias" sounds like an oxymoron to me. Chances are you won't be liberal if you hold tight to biases.

Maybe it is their familiarity with bias that makes conservatives so sensitive to it. So many conservative statements are not verifiable facts, but rather are emotional assertions born from cynical viewpoints and innuendo.

They talk caustically about "big government" as if suggesting a "little" government could somehow meet the challenges of the 21st century. They talk about modifications of revenue collections as "new taxes," even if those changes would actually reduce taxes for the vast majority of taxpayers.

Conservatives don't want government bureaucrats to be involved in their health care, suggesting they believe insurance industry bureaucrats are more sensitive to customer health care needs than they are to the profits of their employers.

Even worse, conservatives have no problems passionately holding to their biases — advances in science, enlightened thought and spiritual evolution be hanged.

Give conservatives credit: "Liberal bias" is a catchy phrase. However, all who use this phrase need to realize it associates them and their cause with the underlying hypocrisy on which it is based.

Joseph Fox

Lexington

Forgotten wars

The United States invaded two independent nations without truthful reasons or justification.

Our leaders persuaded the United Nations and several allies to wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan and called upon thousands of young men and women to sacrifice their lives and those of their families.

More than 4,000 of these brave young people have been killed; almost 50,000 have been wounded.It is a cruel irony that because of superior medical intervention, the survivors of these useless wars are faced with the horrors of amputation, brain injury, blindness and paralysis.

Thousands returned showing no visible wounds, but utterly transformed by combat with frightening and tragic mental health problems, including depression, nightmares and outbursts of uncontrollable anger against those who love them.

Many are homeless, living in poverty, without jobs or income. Too often they seek relief in alcohol, drugs or suicide.

The names given to these atrocities are post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. In other wars, they were shell shock or battle fatigue. The names are different, the aftermath the same.

Neither occupation nor victory in these distant lands, whether they are considered adversaries or allies, is worth the life of one of our precious children.

Most Americans show no interest in the affairs of the Middle East. Throughout the 2010 campaigns, the two wars were never mentioned by any candidate.

These terrible wars represent a malignant denial of the truth and an acceptance of a travesty which should and must be stopped.

Helen Ashworth

Ashland

Not funny

I am an 85-year-old subscriber. My parents also were subscribers. This gives me more than 100 years of experience as a customer.

You continually inquire what we think about your comics.

To me, comic means funny or amusing.

I find absolutely nothing funny about Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, Doonesbury, Dilbert, Mutts, F Minus, Jumpstart, Daddy's Home and Between Friends. This is almost half your comics section.

Apparently whoever decides which comics you will lose has no sense of humor.

Please stop asking for opinions as you aren't doing anything with them anyway.

James Hellard

Lexington

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